This invention relates to an apparatus and process for making and dispensing an instant coffee beverage.
Among the various known filter units, there are the filters used in the field of domestic plumbing. These filters are in the form of cylinders of which the cross-section is interrupted by several horizontally superposed, circular screens which cross one another. These horizontal screens break the jet of running water and make the water more foamy by introducing air into it. Unfortunately, filters such as these have the disadvantage that their cylindrical shape does not provide for rapid flow of the liquid.
In the operation of a conventional automatic distributor for instant coffee, a certain quantity of coffee drops into a mixing bowl in which the necessary quantity of hot water then arrives. A stirrer positioned in the mixing bowl mechanically agitates the water and the coffee, as a result of which the coffee dissolves completely and the mixture undergoes an increase in volume. This phenomenon of expansion results in the formation of a froth which is deposited on the surface of the coffee when it is poured into a cup. The froth formed during this process is coarse and can contain a considerable number of large air bubbles visible on the surface of the coffee. This froth, which is characteristic of instant coffee, can have an unfavourable effect on the consumer by comparison with the fine, creamy froth of an espresso coffee.